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Middle school children who are fit have better grades than unfit children according to research out of Michigan State University. The researchers studied the link between how children scored on standardized tests and the grades on report cards, and found a direct correlation between physical fitness and school performance.

This study is the first to link children’s fitness with improved test scores and grades, as well as the first to look at how academic performance relates to all aspects of physical fitness (body fat, strength, flexibility and endurance) in students in grades six through eight. The results showed that the fittest children scored highest academically, regardless of gender.

The researchers hope that this study will help to make the case that cutting physical education programs in schools will not benefit children academically, but quite the opposite,